


The Curse

by mscrutherford



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Angst, Dark Romance, F/M, Harrowing, Light Smut, Mages, Tevinter, Witch Curses, hfn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-18 16:47:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 11,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15490305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mscrutherford/pseuds/mscrutherford
Summary: After the disaster in Nellie's village, she felt like she became a leaf that was blown up around by a violent wind. She was worried and frightened since she could not guess  what might happen in the following days. She did not know the dangers waiting for her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again;  
> I thought Tom Hiddleston would have been an impressive mage character in DA so I imagined him while I was creating my male character. I hope you'll enjoy this story. Constructive criticism and comments are always welcome.

Nellie McGowan could not get her eyes from the two men who brought her to the tower. She was afraid, feeling fear into her bones. Her dress and cape had changed colors because of the mud and dust. Her tangled, dirty red hair was coming down on her shoulders. The two Templars that caught the young girl in Denerim looked so big in their shiny metal armors. It was evident that the dark spots on their armors were fading blood. There were only two wooden chairs and a table in the room. There was a metal pitcher and a cup on the table. She was forced to sit on one of the chairs. Soon the room door opened and another tall Templar entered. The other two saluted the man with a respectful bow.  
"I am Knight Commander Cullen Rutherford," the man said softly.

She thought she would faint out of fear. Nearly all mages in Ferelden had heard about Cullen Rutherford, Commander of the Templars in Kirkwall. Nellie also knew that no mage, who was marked by the Chantry as an outlaw and caught by Cullen Rutherford was not alive at the moment. She could not help herself keep thinking that she was too young to die.  
"What is your name?" Knight Commander asked.

Nellie tried to speak with difficulty, saying her name with a voice that she could get out of her throat dried with fear and excitement. The commander gently poured water into the cup on the table and gave it to the young girl. His eyes were looking as soft as his voice. He was looking at the young girl with pity. Nellie took the cup, but could not control her shaking hands while taking it to her lips. Cullen stood up from his chair, approached the young girl, and held her trembling hands to help her drink the water.

"Nellie we brought you here because ..."  
"Please do not kill me," She begged, the tears coming down from her green eyes were wetting her pale cheeks.  
One of the two Templars waiting in the room could not control himself. "You have buried an entire village in the ground hedge-mage. What were you expecting! "  
"I did not do it on purpose!" her voice came out in a high-pitched scream.

She closed her hands on her face and groaned. Her thin body was shaking with sobs. "I could not stop," she moaned, "I could not stop what I started."  
Cullen angrily ordered the Templar to leave the room. He definitely did not want to cause another catastrophe in Kirkwall by provoking the young girl. He knelt down beside her and stroked her back in a friendly manner.  
"I know you did not do it on purpose. We did not bring you here to execute you. But you should understand us that we also need to stop you since you are dangerous for everyone. There is a solution for the mages who can not control their powers so you do not have to die.”

Nellie pulled her hands from her face and looked at Cullen. The young man had a sincere expression on his face. She did not remember seeing such a handsome man before. He looked like a knight from the fairy tale books in his armor with his wavy blond hair, hazel eyes, shapely nose and lips. His smile and his eyes were reassuring. The only problem was that he had taken the life of many mages up to now. Knight Commander's deep commitment to Chantry has made it possible for him to fulfill any given order until now. That's why mages scared of him that much.

The only thing most mages did not know at the moment was that Cullen reviewed his thoughts about Templar Order and his prejudices against Mages when the last Knight-Commander in Kirkwall, Meredith Stannard, murdered all the mages since she had lost her mind because of the red lyrium. The Circle of Magi in Ferelden was disbanded. A famous apostate Anders, destroyed The Chantry building in Kirkwall with a big explosion. Thanks to Meredith, a fierce battle started between the Templars and the Mages. Cullen was trying to rally the remainings from the Kirkwall, the riots and explosions, among this chaos he was trying to restore order in the city. But he knew that executing every mage they had caught would not help. He also believed in the young girl. She was looking terrified which is normal for a young person who destroyed the village where she was born and raised, her innocent neighbors, and her friends. He believed Nellie was really upset and frightened. He thought it would not be fair to take the life of the young girl.

"You can become a Tranquil," said Knight Commander to her "So you can get rid of your powers that you cannot control. And your grief."  
Nellie knew the meaning of being Tranquil. This was cutting off a mage's connection with Fade. So the energy needed to do magic would not be taken from the Fade. A mage disconnected from Fade could not enter there in the dreams or be possesed by any demon. Beyond everything, she would lose her feelings. The Tranquil did not feel anything their human emotions, such as fear, anger, happiness and sadness are lost after the ritual. Even if the logic and free will were not destroyed, all their passion was gone. A Tranquil’s empty looking eyes without any kind of emotion disturbed many people. That's why most of Tranquils have been walking around with an unnatural smile on their face. However this could not be said to be very helpful among people. As they could not get mingled in the society they would prefer to stay in the mage circle they were in before.That's what Cullen offered. The young girl could survive among the remaining mages in Kirkwall. Most importantly, as the Commander said, she could be freed from the grief and the deep regret in her heart.

Nellie had been living with her mother Sarah and her sister Jennifer in a small village named Night's Cove. Like all the women in her family, she was a witch. The witches, who did not join the Circle of Magi and were called "hedge-mage", had very different abilities and magical powers than mages. For this reason sometimes they were considered as a threat to both the Circle of Magi and the Chantry. Although most of the witches adopted a solitary way of life, Nellie's mother had married to an ordinary person, so she began to live at Night's Cove on her husband's request.

Sarah had found a way to live in peace with other people. She was using her powers for healing. She was also trying to train Nellie and her younger sister in her way. When Nellie reached puberty, it turned out that her destructive forces were much more dominant than they had thought. Although she managed to hide Nellie from the Circle of Magi and Chantry for a while, she was caught by the Templars who finally came to village to pick up the young girl. If they had succeeded, Nellie would have been separated forever from her family and been brought to Circle of Magi for training. The Templars at the village market place wanted to force Sarah to give up Nellie. Her sister intervened the conflict between the Templars and her mother, then the end was bloody.

Nellie recalled that the sky had suddenly turned dark while she was kneeling besides the corpses of her mother and sister who had been slaughtered in front of her eyes. The lightnings struck several buildings and fires started immediately. The cries of those who escaped in fear were heard right after the tremors and the loud humming sound. The Templars pulled Nellie away from the arm and tried to get away from there with her but they were too late. It took a few seconds for them to disappear along with their horses in the big, deep pit that opened on the ground. When Nellie looked around, she saw the flames spreaded by the blowing wind and the houses fell into other slits opened in the ground. The only thing that came to her mind in panic was to escape.

She could hear the screams of some people who had survived while running away without looking after her. The young girl tried to hide in the forest near Denerim for a while, but due to hunger and cold, she had to enter the city. At that time she was caught by the Templars and brought to the tower in Kirkwall. Nellie was aware of what had happened and Knight Commander offered her a way out she could never reject. She wanted so much to be able to come back in time and fix everything. Since this is not possible, the best thing she can do is to make herself harmless to others.

Nellie softly shook her head and said, "I accept it. I agree to be Tranquil."  
Cullen relaxed and returned to the Templar next to him.  
"Make the necessary preparations for Ms. Nellie McGowan so she can arrange herself. We will perform the ritual tomorrow. "  
He turned to the young girl again, grabbed her hand with a gentle move and helped her to stand up from her chair. He continued without releasing Nellie's hands:  
"I promise you that you will find peace in your new life."

She could not move her eyes from the Commander. He was nothing like the man in the scary stories told by mages. The soft expression on his handsome face and the sincerity in his eyes caused the young girl to blush. Cullen Rutherford could easily steal the heart of every woman around him.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning when she stepped into the large, windowless ritual room, the excitement struck her heart quickly. Cullen and the mage who will perform the ritual was waiting for her in the room. Nellie was wearing a green dress which made her eyes more recognizable. Her clean, wavy hair was shining in red. She looked beautiful and elegant but worried. Knight Commander realized her hesitation then gave his arm to her quickly and leaned over her ear. "There is nothing to be afraid of. You will be free when this is over." he whispered," By the way, you look very beautiful." Nellie responded with a shy smile. 

She was required to kneel in the middle of a circle drawn on the floor. In the center of the circle there was a bowl of lyrium. She had to drink it until the last drop. The lyrium substance which gave immunity to Templars against magic, was weakening the powers of mages. If it was taken at a certain amount, it would destroy all their power. Nellie kneeled and took the bowl timidly. Her mind was confused. One side of her heart wanted to lose her human nature, she wanted to continue her life free from her feelings leaving the heart ache behind and the other side wanted to stay as human. Slowly she took the bowl to her lips and took a sip. A burst of intense and bitter taste caused her to gag for a second. She tried to force herself to take the second sip, she felt dizzy, her sight darkened and her body got numb. She thought for a moment she would not be able to drink all of it. 

Before taking another sip, she heard that the room door was broken, the Templars and the mage inside yelled. She wanted to stand up but she failed. She could hear everything but see nothing. After hearing that Cullen was yelling in fury, she heard the sword clashings. A strong man held Nellie’s arms and lifted her quickly. She remembered that she was going somewhere half-running, half-drifting. After that it was completely dark.


	3. Chapter 3

When she opened her eyes, she was laying in a large bed. The sun was about to fall. From the window of the room a cool breeze was coming inside. She turned her head then she saw the young girl staring at her with a dull smile. There was the Chantry's tattoo on her forehead. She was a Tranquil.  
"I'll inform Master Warde that you woke up," She said quietly and left the room.

Nellie sat in the bed and began examining the room. She understood from the ornate furniture inside and the large fireplace opposite the bed that she was brought to a very rich house. Soon afterwards Tranquil came back and told her politely to follow her. They passed a long corridor and went down the large, stone stairs then turned to the left. They entered into another corridor and Tranquil opened a big wooden door for the young girl.  
Nellie saw that the walls of the room were covered with large bookshelves, and they were all full. The sun was set so candles on the walls were lighting the room. There was a slender, tall man standing in front of the window which extended to the ceiling. He was watching the outside joining his hands behind him. When he heard that the young girl was approaching, he slowly turned to her. His black hair was on his shoulders and it was neatly combed backwards. There was a serious expression on his long face. He stared at her intently. His blue-green eyes were cold. The long, black, leather-fabric mixture garment on him completed his scary image.

"You must be curious why you were brought here," he said. His voice was soft, but his eyes and face made her feel the opposite. Nellie did not answer, she did not know what to say.  
"You’re a hedge-mage," he said, she did not like the humiliating tone in his voice. The man's arrogant appearance was extremely frustrating. "Still," he continued, "You are a very strong mage and we do not want these powers to go to waste"  
"Who are you?" Nellie asked, "What do you want from me?" She hoped she sounded tough enough.  
"My name is Damian Warde," he replied "We are a mage community of Qarinus' Circle of Magi. This castle belongs to my family. We usually perform the training of the mages we choose here. And very few mages are chosen by us. Welcome. "

Nellie swallowed and tried to digest what she had just heard. She understood that she was in Tevinter, but how could she not remember the long journey from Kirkwall to here? How could they hide from the Templars all along the way? As she opened her mouth to ask her questions, Damian spoke as if he read her mind:  
"My men knew the location of an eluvian that was hidden in the tower. And how to unlock it.”

One of the magical mirrors, called eluvian, remained from the elves who ruled very long ago, was hidden in the mage tower in Kirkwall. These mirrors had been enabling the ancient elves to travel in Thedas. Now it brought Nellie from Kirkwall to Qarinus.  
The young girl thought too much things happened to her out of her own will and control in a very short time. The destruction of her family had brought Nellie to Tevinter to become a mage when she was about to become Tranquil. "I want to go back," she said with a trembling voice.  
Damian looked at her with surprise. "You can’t go back to Ferelden anymore, Templars will kill you on sight."  
"I volunteered to be Tranquil. I will talk to Knight Commander Cullen he will believe me that I was kidnapped. This will end if I become tranquil. "

A shadow of anger clouded Damian’s face. "You want to be tranquil? Do you have any idea what that means?" In a few steps, he came closer to the young girl, meanwhile he called someone's name. The Tranquil who brought Nellie to the room, came in. Damian caught the young girl's arm firmly. "Take a good look at her," he whispered through his teeth. "Do you want to have this face? Do you want to give up all your emotions, your powers? Do you think you will find peace among people when you are Tranquil? "Nellie wanted to rescue her arm, but she could not succeed. Damian continued to speak.  
"If you become Tranquil, you will lose all your power and your place among mages, and because you have lost your feelings, people will find you strange and will stay away from you. You will stay in a Circle and do errands as every Tranquil does. And you will be treated by mages accordingly. What do you think that the beautiful and attractive Tranquils such as you are doing in a place where the Templars rule? They are sold to men, darling, sold to Templars who are bored with constant fighting ... "

Nellie could not believe her ears, she felt that her blood froze. Having seen the young girl's contracted body, Damian continued with a cruel smile.  
"That's what your knight in shiny armor has promised you."  
She was trying to digest what she heard. She wished she had finished the ritual before hearing all this. But it was too late.

"I can not control my powers," she sobbed, "I wanted to be Tranquil because I could not control them."  
Damian ordered Tranquil to leave the room and released Nellie's arm.  
"None of the miserable mages who survived the events in Ferelden can teach you how to control your powers, but we can."


	4. Chapter 4

Nellie soon began her studying as a mage apprentice. Darius, an old mage who was the instructor and mentor of Damian was teaching to few other students with her. The old man was the opposite of Damian. He was a friendly, calm and a nice person. The Warde family was a small but highly elite part of the Circle of Magi in Tevinter. Their connections to the top of the organization had made them almost untouchable. If the Warde family approves that a mage can even use blood magic, nobody would question it. They were training the mage apprentices in the castle so everyone seemed to share a house rather than a school building.

It was decided that Nellie would be trained by Damian and Nellie's room was arranged close to the young man's room. Although she was not pleased with the situation, she quietly accepted her fate since she had nowhere to go. Neither returning to Ferelden nor escaping from the castle was possible as she knew nothing about Tevinter. All she could do was to complete her education and perhaps to leave the castle as a free mage one day. It was also not easy for the young girl to see the Tranquils who served in the castle every day. She was convinced that she would not look back while leaving. Training was not easy at all. She had to learn so many rules, spells and subjects that she did not know before, from the books and from Damian. 

According to Nellie, Damian Warde was a compelling, ambitious and cruel teacher. Though his appearance was calm and soft, his attitudes and conversations were not at all. She was called for her first education in the "Black Room," she was listening to Darius in the study room with the other students. A Tranquil entered the room and called her name, all the other students turned their heads and stared at her. 

The "Black Room" was a place where dangerous spells were tested and it is a practice location for the most powerful mages who could perhaps come out in a thousand years like Nellie to learn magic. There were rumors that the magician who contributed to the construction of this room which had been built to endure all kinds of magic, was one of the Magisters who entered the Golden City where the gods lived in ancient history. However, as soon as the construction was completed the mage vanished without a trace. So it remained as a rumor. It was known that the room was protected by ancient spells, so this was the only place where they could safely test Nellie's real power.


	5. Chapter 5

The "Black Room" was a cellar room and its walls was built from Fade Touched Obsidian bricks which were radiating a pale blue light. Torches with magical Veilfire were used to illuminate the large room and to activate the ancient protection spells. There was a simple wooden door to hide the room from the eyes.   
Nellie entered the room, Damian was waiting for her. He briefly explained the purpose of the room. Nellie was not pleased when she learned that she would spend a lot of time in this dreary place with Damian.

Damian was in an arrogant mood while watching the spells that Nellie could do. Because she had been able to skillfully use only a few fire spells until now. Without being noticed he made a strong protection spell on himself then began to tease Nellie. He believed that whatever happened in Nellie's village it was an outcome of anger and pain. He was not mistaken, his mocking and provocative attitude worked when he began to talk about her mother and sister. So far the young girl was only confused and sad about the things that Damian had said to her however when it came to her family her green eyes started to glow with a deadly light, she was staring at Damian. 

Firstly a storm started in the room. As the flames of the torches was blown away crazily, Damian felt the great pressure on his protection shield. The stones on the walls of the room, which was protected by the ancient spells, were trembling and the floor of the room was shaking with a great noise. Damian did not hide his amazement in the face of the great energy he witnessed. The room which could resist even to the most powerful magic known until now was struggling to its limits beneath his feet. He noticed thin slits that began to occur on the stone walls. The pressure on the shield was increasing every passing moment. Nellie looked more like a very angry and ruthless Goddess than a witch with her red hair and black dress waving in the storm in the room.

Damian felt his feet were lifted from the ground and he hit the wall hard behind him. His shield began to weaken. While he still has some power he looked at Nellie's eyes carefully. She came out of her trance when she heard Damian's voice in her mind.  
"Nellie you should stop now!"

She looked around and saw the small sample of the catastrophe she created in the room. Her anger was replaced by panic as before she had no idea how to stop it. She shouted, "I can not! I can not stop it!" Damian kept talking to her in her mind.

"You have to concentrate. Look at my eyes." Nellie looked desperately in the eyes of the young man she was struggling hard to focus on him. Suddenly she thought “His eyes looked like a deep blue ocean.” Then she felt that she started to calm down slowly. Damian kept talking to her in her mind. His voice was extremely calm and soothing.

"Just look at me," he said "Just focus on me."

After a few seconds Nellie’s fury was over and she recognized the silence around her. It was over. She ran to Damian and saw the blood coming from the young man's nose. He pushed her hand and wiped his nose. There was a childish smile on his sculptured face. 

"Just as I guessed," he said with a cheerful tone, "You have a tremendous power, Nellie Mc Gowan! Amazing!"

Nellie stared at Damian with her mouth open. He did not seem like a man just about to die few minutes ago. He stood up and suddenly hugged her.

"Do not worry," he said gently, as his voice stroking her hair. "We will control this power." However Nellie did not think that she felt safe as it should be.

Nellie came out to the court yard as she could not sleep that evening. The weather was freezing but she did not feel cold. Garden was like a cemetery because of the deep silence and tree branches that had shed their leaves. Due to the weather everyone chose to stay indoors. So she could cry freely as she was seating on a wooden bench. She was trying to figure out what kind of situation she had fallen into. Nellie thought that she was not different than a leaf that was blown up around by a violent wind. She was worried and frightened since she could not guess what might happen in the following days.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Darius who came with a lantern in his hand. The old man walked barely; his thick clothes should have been heavy for him.   
"Hello Nellie, you should not be out in the cold. You will get sick.” His voice tingled with a sincere concern.

Nellie looked at Darius as she wiped her tears. "Why is he treating me so bad?" she asked. "I did nothing to him."

Old man did notice quickly who Nellie was talking about. "Let's talk about it in my room. It's so cold that I can not discuss important issues here"


	6. Chapter 6

Darius was right. She had not noticed the cold outside until she settled in the armchair placed in front of the fireplace.

"Damian had difficult times. He and his sister Viola were young when their mother committed suicide. She was mentally disturbed and could not be cured. Eventually the poor woman hung herself, unable to withstand her sorrows. Samuel Warde, his husband, found her body. This incident was devastating for the family. A few years later, when Viola entered adolescence, she started to show the same signs. Again, no cure was found for her, and one day she ran away from home. Samuel and Damian searched for the young girl and eventually learned that she had become a Tranquil by the Circle of Magi in Ferelden. Damian was very angry and he thought it was Chantry that did this to her. But they learned the truth after a little more investigation and meeting with Viola. She told them that she could not stand the pain so she had voluntarily become Tranquil to cut off her connection with Fade. "

"Why did not she become Tranquil here?" Nellie asked, not hiding her curiosity.

"Viola thought she was suffering because of her powers. Damian wanted her to continue her life as a mage. He certainly would not allow Viola to be Tranquil here. So the young girl chose to escape. "

"What happened then?"

"They could not persuade Viola to return home and had to leave her there. After losing his wife and daughter, Samuel’s health deteriorated rapidly and he died a while later. Only Damian remained from the Wardes. It was a great responsibility. This family has a very important place in Circle of Magi in Tevinter, and Damian has to work hard not to lose it. "

Nellie did not respond. Her green eyes looked very thoughtful. Darius once again showed how wise he was. Or he had learned to read the people around him with years of experience.

"He loved his sister and believed in her. I think Viola's decision for her own life was a big disappointment for Damian. He must have been upset due to her choice to be a Tranquil. He was trained by a system which teaches that mages were superior to any class in Thedas. A system that teaches even some mages are superior to other ones. That is why he despises Chantry and thinks that they use Rite of Tranquility for their own profit. Also he does not like Circle of Magi in Ferelden much since he thinks most of them are puppets of the Chantry"

"But I'm not his sister," said Nellie in a frustrated voice.

"No, my child. Definitely you are not." Darius said with an understanding smile. "Nevertheless, your potential may make you one of the strongest mages in Thedas one day. You can not ignore this. Damian believes in you, and after your practice today his belief has increased even more. If you can complete your training with him, you can be placed to very important positions within the Circle. You may have a bright future. "

Nellie sighed. She had to accept what was offered to her and do her best. Her childhood had already gone with Night’s Cove. So she had to make realistic, mature decisions. She should not run away from her responsibilities. Though Nellie did not like Damian, or even hated him, the young man had given her a home to live in and showed her a far more clear future than before. No matter how he treated Nellie, she knew she was accepted here. 

Nellie thought she was not sadder than before while leaving Darius's room. She was aware that nothing would change, Damian would continue to behave the same way again, but after this conversation her thoughts became clearer and the young girl was grateful for it.


	7. Chapter 7

Nellie's training continued in an increasing difficulty. For the young girl, the most depressing part of the day was to practice with Damian in the "Black Room." She had learned to control her anger and fear, but Damian's provoking talks and his attitude broke her heart. She thought she had already heard all the insults and humiliations about her personality as well as her family. Nellie started to keep calm and controlled against them. She saw Damian very little except for the "Black Room" and when they met he treated her just like other apprentices: cold, distant but respectful. Therefore, she believed that Damian's insults and teasings in "Black Room" were not sincere, though effective. Nevertheless, the anger and hate she felt for the young man did not go away.

After a long time Nellie had realized how lonely she was when she became a self-confident and controlled mage apprentice. Her powers and intelligence separated her from the other students. Other apprentices knew the story that brought Nellie to the castle. So this made it difficult for them to accept the young girl from the beginning of their training. They were scared of her. Now, she was more successful than the others in a competitive environment so they did not like Nellie very much. She spent most of her time reading books in her room. In the dinner time and in other situations where everyone came together, people whispering behind her and Tranquils who constantly wandered around with a strange smile led Nellie to love her room and her privacy increasingly.

One night two Tranquils came to Nellie’s room while she was sleeping. She realized that the time had come. She had to go to Harrowing ritual. If she were to become an official member of the Circle of Magi in Tevinter, she should have completed this ritual successfully. This was some sort of final exam. 

The mage apprentices survived from the test started their careers in the Circle of Magi as a competent mage, but it was death to wait for those who could not pass the test. Harrowing ritual was simple. An apprentice mage would enter the Fade after drinking the lyrium that presented to him. The candidate had to manage to prevent the demon he faced from possession. For the demons that existed in the Fade, the world of the living was extremely attractive. The desire of all demons was to experience the physical world. But they had to attach to something in the world of mortals in order to move into this world. The most convenient and easiest way to do this was the Mages, who frequently entered the Fade for Harrowing. The Mages were therefore available to be possessed by the demons.

In Tevinter there were four people performing the Harrowing ritual. Two instructors who train the Mage apprentice and two priests from the Imperial Chantry. The Imperial Chantry priests acted more like supervisors who should guarantee the ritual rules were followed.

In Ferelden, the mages that were possessed by a demon or remained in the Fade for too long would have to be killed according to the rules. Nobody would have believed that the Mages who had been in the Fade for too long could return from there without being possessed. In Tevinter, the time given to the mages was slightly longer than that of Ferelden, but the mage exceeding this time also had to be killed since Imperial Chantry did not want to take the risk.

The mage apprentice was not informed about the ritual time as he was expected to be always ready. Also, if the ritual failed at the end, he would have no information about the person who would kill him. Because knowing the identity of this person could make possession of the mage easier for a Fear demon.

Nellie was never afraid of Harrowing. Even if she knew it was a fatal test ... She knew she was going to do it, but if she failed it meant the end of a lifestyle that she had been forced to accept. So from time to time there was a voice from within, whispering that it might be a salvation for her. A rescue from a lonely life full of responsibility ...

Nellie entered the ritual room without fear. Darius, Damian and the two priests were waiting for her. She knew the rules of Harrowing, but as a senior instructor, Darius reminded her of them once more.

Nellie looked at Damian with a sad smile, when Darius told her that if she failed, the chosen person in the room would put an end to her life with a dagger to the heart.

"Do not bother for secrecy. I know who carries the dagger for me. I am sure that he will do his duty with great joy."

Damian threw his head back as if he had been slapped in the face. He tilted his head to turn his eyes away from the young girl. But even for a few seconds Nellie saw the resentful expression in his eyes. As she opened her mouth to apologize, the Imperial Chantry priests took the young girl's arm and took her to the altar.  
Nellie could not take her eyes away from Damian while she was taking lyrium glass to her lips. He did not lift his head once. After drinking Lyrium until the last drop, she blacked out again like before.


	8. Chapter 8

Nellie was in her bed when she opened her eyes. She stood up to understand what was going on then felt dizzy. She sat in the bed for a while and tried to focus on. She did not remember how she came to her room. She looked out of the window and saw it was twilight. She did not know whether it was sunrise or sunset. If she entered the Fade, it was a wonderful replica of her bedroom. Nellie thoroughly examined the room to see if she was in the real world or in the Fade, but she could see no difference. It seemed as if everything was in place including her outfit.

A little later, the door slowly opened and Damian came in. He approached the bed and sat next to her, smiling lightly. He was wearing a large shirt and black pants. Nellie stared at his face with all her attention. She did not know what she was looking for, but every detail that would allow her to separate the Fade from reality would be appreciated by her.

Damian's black hair was properly combed backwards as usual. The color of his eyes was changing between green and blue according to the light, which was normal, too. His long, handsome face stood close to Nellie.

"Congratulations Nellie McGowan," Damian smiled, "You passed the test. We brought you back to your room for rest. I wanted to be the first to congratulate you." 

"I do not remember how I got here," Nellie said cautiously.

Damian made an unexpected move and hold a lock of Nellie’s hair gently then put it behind her ear. Nellie was surprised. She opened her eyes wide. "You were sleeping," Damian said softly. "The effect of Lyrium may continue for a while. Even if you are awake, you can not distinguish the reality from a dream for few more hours."

Damian stroked her cheek. Then he moved his hand graciously from her neck to her shoulder. Nellie swallowed. Her throat was dry. she held Damian's hand hesitantly and put it on the bed. His skin was warm as it should be but how would she know if he was a demon? Before taking the lyrium, she saw the reaction of the young man to her words. So Damian might not have hated her as much as she thought.

Damian seemed to have read her mind. "I'm sorry I've been hard on you before, Nellie. But that was necessary for your training. Actually, I like you very much. Since the first day you came to the castle. It's so hard for me to restrain my desire for you since you’re so beautiful. Now, you passed Harrowing and you’re a mage now, nothing can stop us from being together."

Damian took off his shirt. His body was thin and elegant, but muscular. Nellie could not control her accelerating breath. She was afraid of her body that started reacting out of her control. Damian closed the distance between them. Nellie felt his warm breath now. This time he stroked her breast, gently again. His touch tingled Nelly’s body. If this was a Desire demon, why was he in the disguise of the man she hated most? The answer did not please Nellie. Because the desire demons usually tried to uncover the secret desires and possessed the mage by using them.

Nellie never had any desires, such as career or wealth. She always thought that her only desire was to leave the castle one day. But it was shocking to find out that her hidden desire was Damian Warde. She pulled back with a deep breath.The young man was surprised.

"Do not you want me?" He asked with a tempting voice. Nellie did not want to answer as her body was screaming "I want you!". Nellie realized why this test was so horrible and difficult for all Mages. Everything looked so real and felt so real that the young girl had an irresistible desire to take the pleasure of present time. Nevertheless, she decided to try one more thing to get out of this situation. If this would not work she did not know what else she could do. Maybe she would leave herself in the arms of the young man and reach the end that was waiting for her.

She tried to control her fast-paced heart and breathing.

"I'm very sorry for your sister, Damian," she said in a low voice. "Her death must have made you very upset." She hoped that if this was a demon it would not know what happened to Damian's sister. Because Desire demons usually were not interested in memories of the mage they preferred to seek images stimulating ambitions. And Nellie had blocked her mind before talking to Damian. 

Looking at the her with empty eyes for a moment, Damian said, "Yes," The expression on his face was clearly false when he spoke again. “You can make me hold on to the life again Nellie."

She did not know whether she should laugh or be afraid. Because it was definitely a Desire demon.

"If you do not get lost in a short time, demon, your end will not be good.” She tried to sound confident.

Damian laughed sarcastically. There was a challenge on his handsome face. "I got very close, Mage. If you let me in now, Damian Warde will be with you forever. Are you sure you do not want that? "

Nellie decided she did not want to die. But demon looked like a feast for a man who had been hungry for days. If she decided to taste a bite, she would die.  
"No," said Nellie, breathless, "I do not want you." Then she lifted her hand slightly, the energy that she drawn from the Fade collected in her palm as a glowing orb. 

"Are you sure you want to continue this game further?" Nellie asked. Demon - Damian looked down at her hand. He reluctantly stood up and something murmured. Nellie realized that the walls of the bedroom were gone. She saw the real Fade. Black clouds covering the dark green sky and an endless barren field. Soon she felt that there was no bed, either. When she looked down she started to fall into a dark dark hole.

She gasped and found herself in the ritual room when she woke up. There were Darius and Damian looking at her with worried eyes. From the impatient expression on the faces of the two Imperial Chantry priests, she realized that she had woken up when the time was almost over.  
Nellie watched the young man with fearful eyes as Damian helped her to stand up. She still could not believe that her deepest desire was Damian Warde.


	9. Chapter 9

She was now an official member of Circle of Magi in Tevinter. Damian had informed her that after a while she would be offered a number of places to serve as a mage, and that she could choose one of them.

After a week or two, Nellie began to help Darius in the training of newly arrived mage candidates. The old mage appreciated the help of the young girl. She occasionally saw Damian, but he was always busy with something and he did not get very close to Nellie since Harrowing ritual. She was sorry about what she had said before the ritual began, but Damian seemed to give her no chance to apologize. He did not hide the resentment in his eyes.

Nellie was reading a book in the bedroom as she did every night. She never broke her privacy since she thought it was a correct decision to stay alone in this castle. When her eyes were tired, she left her book on the armchair and went to bed.

Soon after, Nellie had fallen asleep. She saw her village in her dream. She was walking in the market with her sister and her mother. This filled her heart with happiness and sadness at the same time.

"How are you, Nellie?" Sarah McGowan asked. The young girl was aware that it was a dream but it was one of the dreams that felt like real. Neither the sky was in a peculiar color nor a strange thing was happening to indicate that it was a dream. 

People were talking to each other, laughing and shopping. "I'm fine, mother," Nellie said with a sad voice, "But I miss you." Her mother looked at Nellie and smiled but when she spoke again, her voice sounded like ice:  
"I do not think so, Nellie. I do not think you miss us."

The young girl stepped back with fear and sorrow. There was anger her mother and her sister’s face who was holding her hand.

"How quickly have you forgotten what had happened? How quickly did you cover up on the past? "Suddenly, the feeling of regret squeezed her heart.  
The red stain spreading quickly in her mother’s belly caught the young girl’s attention. When Templars tried to take her with force, Sarah resisted them and a Templar thrusted his sword in her belly. Her sister, who tried to interfere, also had a thrust in her chest. Nellie was watching the blood constantly coming from Sarah McGowan and Jennifer McGowan as if she was hypnotized. They were staring at Nellie with their pale faces and dull eyes:  
"Do you want to see what happened when you ran away without looking back? Do you want to see the destruction you left behind? " Sarah asked.

Nellie wanted to wake up. She had been dragged into a nightmare before she realized it. However she could not wake up for an unknown reason.  
"Look," ordered her dead mother. She stepped aside with her sister and let the young girl see the view behind them. 

The dark smoke around the burned and demolished buildings had just been cleared. Nellie walked to the middle of the marketplace by taking a few steps. She stopped at the edge of a deep cliff that was dividing the village into two. The Templars who fell off the cliff and died had left few items on the ground. On the other side, the familiar faces belonged to people who had been bleeding from their lost limbs or crushed heads were watching Nellie. There was anger and accusation in all of them.

"I did not do it on purpose," Nellie said with a trembling voice.

"Mary and his child Tom did not think so," Sarah said sarcastically. 

Nellie saw a young woman whose face was crushed and deformed holding a four-year-old child on the other side of the cliff. The child's lips were dark blue, but there was no other damage on his face. 

“Tom had been sleeping at home during the catastrophe that you created. Then a lightning fell and the house burned. Mary tried to save his son, but her head was crushed under a falling beam. Tom died because of smoke. I do not know why, but he had not been burned when they found him. I suppose the gods showed some kind of mercy to him. Do you remember when you played with Tom? You did not have a brother so you loved him like a brother "

Nellie swallowed to get rid of the painful feeling that squeezed her throat. "I did not do it on purpose," She murmured repeatedly in tears.

She suddenly heard an unnatural, thick and spooky voice behind her.

"Nellie," the voice said. She turned back, she saw a tall shape dressed in a black robe. The figure lifted its head, she saw a pair of glowing red eyes staring at her. The rest was pure darkness inside the robe. The eyes were piercing through her. It laughed in a terrifying sound and pushed Nellie down from the cliff.

Nellie woke up with a short scream. She tried to control her breath and her crazily beating heart. It did not allow her to get rid of the fear as it was standing at the feet of her bed in a giant dark shape. It watched her without moving.  
"Nellie McGowan from now on I will come to visit you almost every night. We will have a lot of fun together. Well...until you completely lose your mind.” She heard the voice in her mind. The dark shadow continued to gradually disappear:  
"Or you can give yourself to me. I can not say no to a young and beautiful body like you."

Nellie's fear increased even more. She had passed Harrowing. She had shown that she had the strength to resist a demon. And the demons would prefer to possess the weaker ones or new apprentices taking the test rather than dealing with experienced mages. Nellie felt that it was an extremely powerful demon. Without noticing it pulled her into Fade in her dream to make her scared and panicked. She jumped out of her bed, took a shawl on her shoulders, and rushed to the corridor. She did not think she could be alone tonight.

Nellie hesitated for a moment when she came in front of Damian's room, but she was even afraid of the shadows in the half-dark corridor. She knocked the door strongly for several times. Finally Damian opened it with half opened eyes.   
When he saw her frightened and crying, Damian asked in concern. "What is the problem?"   
Nellie told him the nightmare she had had and the demon.  
"It was a strong demon," she said. "I'm sure I've seen him after I woke up."  
Damian frowned. "This is not normal," he responded in worry, "Especially after Harrowing."

"I know," said Nellie. Talking to him comforted her. The fear and panic she felt seemed to be fading. " I also know what I’ve seen in my room"  
"Tomorrow we’ll go to talk to Darius as the first thing. You look very tired right now. You need sleep to gather yourself " Damian said.  
Nellie knew he was right.   
"I can not go back to that room," She muttered.

All the furniture in Damian's room consisted of a bed, a work desk and an armchair in front of the fireplace, like her own room. Damian talked with an unreadable expression on his face.  
"I’ll sleep on the armchair."   
"I do not want to go to bed alone," Nellie's face was far from tempting, with her puffed, fearful eyes and wet cheeks. Damian did not object more.  
Nellie asked him to hug her. She was afraid to close her eyes and did not realize she was constantly moving. Shortly after, Damian murmured sleepily.  
"I do not accept responsibility if you continue to move, Nellie McGowan.”

She realized what she was doing and stopped instantly. She was able to sleep a few minutes later.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning Damian woke up before her. Nellie saw him sitting at the bedside watching her with thoughtful eyes.  
"Go and get dressed," he said. "Let's go talk to Darius."

Nellie obeyed him silently and they went to Darius's study room together. Darius was talking with an apprentice as he smiled at them. They waited until they were alone in the room, Damian told him what had happened to Nellie without wasting time.

Darius’s face got pale gradually after he started to listen to him, eventually he let himself sit on a chair near him.  
"I expected this day to come." He murmured himself.  
"What do you mean?" Damian's voice was tense and impatient.  
"Please sit down," said the old man.

Nellie and Damian sat on the seats in front of the old man. There is a deep silence in the room.   
"Damian...I knew I'd have to tell you one day, but I thought it was early."

Damian felt that he was running out of his patience gradually. However the desperate and concerned expression on the old man's face forced him to wait. His love and respect for Darius was limitless since he always supported him and lifted most of his burden after his father's death.  
The old man was rubbing his hands anxiously. "Your grandfather had told this to your father when he was alive. And your father told it to me in his deathbed. I could not believe him in the beginning but now ... "

"What are you talking about, Darius, for Gods sake!" Damian said nervously.

"It's a curse," Darius said at once. "A curse on your family my son." Damian's face got pale. He could not speak.

"When he was young your grandfather had impregnated a hedge mage...a witch. She had given birth to a girl. He did not want to take the responsibility of his child and abandoned them. Years later when he got married to another woman he met this witch again. The woman said that she cursed him and Warde men were destined to lose the women they loved. Your grandmother died after your father had been born. He had a sister but she committed suicide at a young age. Your grandfather had told to your father that all of this was due to a Pride demon that had been haunting Warde women. That's the reason of what had happened to your mother and your sister. The pride demon was driving them crazy. They could not resist it."

"Are you telling me now?" Damian shouted angrily.

"I told you when your father told me it was too late."

"Why had nothing been done to stop the curse?" The young man's eyes filled with tears. His voice trembled because of the pain and anger he felt.

There was a true expression of sorrow on Darius' face: "There is no way we can stop this, my child. Unless the person that is haunted by the demon enters the Fade and destroy it, this will not come to an end. Your mother and sister did not agree to enter the Fade because they were so afraid of this demon. I am truly sorry Damian "

Nellie remained quiet until then:  
"Do you think this Pride demon is now haunting me?" She asked softly.

The old man admitted. "I never thought Damian would have feelings for you."

Nellie blushed and looked away. She looked at the young man with the corner of her eyes she saw that he was also very surprised.

"But ..." Damian could not finish his word.

"You can tell me whatever you want my child but that’s a demon," said the old man, "Your thoughts and feelings for Nellie obviously brought him back here. It made a deal with the witch and it has to obey "

Nellie moved restlessly on the armchair.  
"Is it not possible for us to find this woman and convince her to lift the curse?"

Darius sadly shook his head:  
"Damian's grandfather and father had been looking for this woman in almost all Thedas for years, but they could not find her."

"Then I will enter the Fade," Nellie said with a determined voice.

"I can not ask you to do this," Damian replied.

"I can not live like this," said Nellie. "I'm sure it’s going to find me wherever I go, unless I destroy it."

Darius watched the young girl with sad eyes. "You'll have to enter the Fade with your physical presence. You told me how real the dream feels, and think about how to really encounter it in the Fade "

"I can do it," Nellie insisted. "Well, fear has no use for me, right?”

"Then we will send you to the Fade through an eluvian. It will find you after you arrive there.” Darius replied.

"You are not going alone. I will come with you." Damian declared firmly.


	11. Chapter 11

Damian did not want to leave Nellie alone so he was in her room. It was night, and the next day they would enter the Fade with the help of Darius. Damian thoughtfully sat on the armchair and watched the flames in the fireplace. Nellie walked to him and kneeled down. She looked at Damian and thought how handsome he was. 

"I apologize for the words that I said to you before the Harrowing ritual began," She said in a shy manner. "I was angry with you so unintentionally ..."

"I was holding the dagger, yes," Damian murmured, not separating his eyes from the flames. "And if the ritual had failed, I would have killed you. That was my duty."

The distant state of the young man made Nellie upset. He could easily admit that he loved her rather than acting so cold. Because it is too late to convince her that he did not love her after this curse issue. She held his hands and forced himself to look at her.  
"I did not tell you what had happened in the ritual," Damian seemed interested now.

"Do you know what kind of demon I saw there? A Desire demon. Do you know who it posed as? Damian Warde. "  
Damian looke at the young girl with surprise.  
"Yes, I had the same expression on my face." Nellie continued. "I was very surprised when I learned that the man I hated most was my secret desire."  
"Nellie ..."  
"Why should not we be together?" The young girl said with an eager tone. "If we want each other."  
Damian spoke with an angry voice. "Do not do this to me! Tomorrow we will enter the Fade and fight with a demon that is perhaps stronger than both of us. If we fail, it will not stop until it kills you. I think you need to get things a little more serious.”  
"I am extremely serious, Damian Warde. If I am to die, I do not want to die without making love to the man I want."

Damian was once again surprised by Nellie's frankness. She kissed him knowing this surprise was an opportunity.

Nellie did not know what she had expected from the night she spent with him. She was sure that she could not forget the darkness and the desire in his eyes. They were in bed, even her reaction to the physical pain caused by losing her virginity did not stop the young man’s fierce moves. It seemed as if he was trying to warn her about him. She was hurt by his way of make love, but he was also able to give enormous pleasure to her with his fingers. Pain and pleasure mixed in her body. Nellie realized that she was not looking for fairy tale like romance. Damian stopped only once when he realized that she was provoking him to move harder. "Damian," she groaned and hugged him firmly as her body was shaken violently by the orgasm. Damian followed her a few seconds later.

It was a late night when Nellie closed her tired eyes. She saw herself making love with Damian again in her dream. She was happy watching the handsome face of the young man, but again everything turned into a nightmare very quickly.

She noticed his red shining eyes, Nellie wanted to stand up in panic. The demon held her arms firmly and pressed them to bed. As Nellie struggled to get up, the demon gripped her more. It was watching her with its red flaming eyes now, demon-Damian’s hair was replaced by dark moving shadows.  
"Did you like it, Nellie?" His voice was terrifying. "Is this your way to forget what you had done to your loved ones?" He moved in her. The young woman groaned because of the sharp pain she felt in her belly.

"Let me go," Nellie said in tears.

"Come on, aren’t we having fun?" said the demon with a shameless manner "I told you we would have a lot of fun together."

The pride demon caught her offhand for the second time which meant he was very intelligent and strong. It was not surprising that it was able to easily destroy the women before her. If Nellie did not kill this creature, no doubt her end would be like the others. She tried to defeat her feelings of fear and panic which weakened his power and tried to focus. Soon after, she felt the energy flow into her body. She woke up after she pushed the demon with a strong move. 

She put a hand on her chest, she could feel the heartbeat under her palm. She suddenly felt the heavy air in the room while trying to adjust her breath. It did not take long for her to realize that she was wrong, she was not awake yet. She did not know whatever the was doing, but the young woman was always finding herself dream within a dream when she encountered with it. And this reinforced her fear and panic. She slowly turned her head and saw a dark shadow in a human form swallowing the light around it. It was laying beside her. There were red flames in the place where its eyes should be. 

"Don’t we go on?" Demon asked with its horrible voice then pounced upon her.

Nellie woke up with her own scream. Damian also jumped from his sleep and looked at her with puzzled eyes.

"It was here," said the young woman with whisper. She was trying to control her trembling body. Damian hugged her.


	12. Chapter 12

While Nellie was dressing, she was watching her reflection in the mirror. There were some small bruises left from the last night. These were the marks left by Damian, not the demon. The demons could create feelings like pain on people, but they could not give physical damage on a body if they had not possessed it. She saw a strange smile on her lips while she was moving her fingers over these marks. She thought of the dark and amorous bond between Damian and her. She wanted to discover more of this unknown, dangerous territory in their relationship. And the only obstacle between them is the Pride demon. Nellie was determined to lift that obstacle for good. 

Darius brought Nellie and Damian to a room where a large mirror was placed in. It was covered with a black sheet. It was hidden away from the curious eyes in this cellar room. It was opening to the Fade. Darius took the black and dust-covered sheet. Then he muttered some words -probably in ancient elf language - then activated the mirror.

"It's a dangerous passage directly to the Fade," said the old man, "I cannot keep it open for too long."

"We will try to return as soon as possible," said Damian in a serious voice. Then they went into the mirror.

The Fade seemed to be same as in Nellie's Harrowing ritual. The mirror brought them to the skirts of a hill which is as black as the earth under their feet. There was no air flow. Nellie had felt the same, heavy air the night before in her bedroom.

Damian looked around. "It must have been felt our presence. It's about time it comes here" he murmured.  
Soon they saw the creature appearing far away and slowly walking towards them. When it got closer they could see it clearly. The physical presence of the Pride demon in Fade was at least as frightening as the form that Nellie saw in the outside world. It’s body is a reminiscent of lizard, covered in thick, sharp crusts. The creature had no eyes, and there was a long, forked tongue moving out from its mouth, where it had hundreds of pointed teeth. Pride Demon’s terrifying image was completed with sharp, shiny black horns extending up from the back of its head.

Finally it stopped. It spoke in their minds his voice was arrogant. "Poor humans. It's rude to bring your lover here, Nellie."  
She decided not to control her anger and allow it to accumulate.  
"I think there is not a way to get rid of you, is there?" Nellie asked in a tensed tone. "You do not have to die, demon."  
"Wow," Pride demon replied, laughing "You are a brave whore, aren’t you? I guess I will not kill you, Nellie. I'll possess your body instead. It will be much more fun like this."  
The demon stomped its foot, the earth beneath their feet was shaken violently. Damian tried to protect his balance and managed to open a shield of protection for himself. Nellie saw Damian using fire spells, so she tried to use electric to do more damage. However, both did not work, the demon slowly came closer to them and swung its claws. Damian and Nellie escaped from the claws in two separate directions. If the creature could caught them it, would have certainly split them into two. Nellie was surprised that the demon chose physical attacks.

Pride Demon, returned to Damian. Nellie felt the end of this move would not be good. She hoped that it would work when she was sending electrical waves with all her power. The creature was immune to this magic. It opened his arms and murmured a spell she had never heard before. The young woman saw a bright wave of light. Her body was shocked as if it was struck by lightning. She understood that demon was weakening their mana. It had removed Damian's shield. Nellie glanced at the young man, whose shield was destroyed and fell by the impact of the demon’s spell. It quickly came over to Damian and grabbed him by his leg and lifted him up as if he was a toy doll. Then threw him away. Damian had lost his consciousness when he fell down.

Nellie should have been afraid of this scene, but instead she felt rage. She opened her arms to both sides. There was no need to speak a spell. The cause of the catastrophe in Night’s Cove was due to the fact that Nellie could not control the energy she had pulled from Fade. The strength of the young woman's connection with this world was many times more than any mage. Damian had seen this in the Black Room. Despite the ancient protection spells inside the Black Room, Nellie had reached to the Fade and managed to pull the energy from there. Now she was in the source of the energy. She was not sure if she could handle such a great power, but she did not care. The black clouds in the sky gathered over her head as if the young woman called them. Green lightnings were descending from the clouds and gathered in Nellie’s palms. For the first time a strong wind began to blow. Pride Demon slowly turned back, Nellie thought it was surprised.

"Yes, demon," said the young woman with a cruel smile on her face, "Have fun with me."

She stretched her arms towards the creature to send the energy on demon. Even though the demon tried to get away, the energy wave struck it and caused it to fall after a few steps. Nellie followed every move of the demon with her arms channeling the lightnings in that direction. As the tremendous force of power continued to crash the demon, it blew up like a giant pumpkin at the end. Nellie saw its limbs flying too far.

The next phase was to calm down herself and shut down the power. Trying to control her breath and her mind was too challenging that she felt a great exhaustion after everything was over and collapsed on her knees. She thought that she was going to blacked out. So she waited a few minutes for her body strength to recover. Then she slowly stood up, waiting for a while before starting to walk. She felt like a drunken beggar and walked like one. She came to Damian, she kneeled. He was also trying to get rid of the dizziness caused by his crash on the ground.

"We should leave. I do not think we have too much time.” Nellie said worriedly. After all, they are in the world of demons. Although the demons did not get involved in each other's work, they would not ignore two people entering in their world and killing one of them. The blood-freezing screams from the distance seemed to inform that some of the demons would come to them after a while.

Damian, who struggled to stand on foot, leaned on Nellie and they went back through the mirror.


	13. Chapter 13

It took months for Damian's broken arm, other cracks and bruises in various parts of his body to be healed. Some invitation letters from respectful mage groups were sent to Nellie. She still did not answer any of them. Darius had told her she could stay with them at castle or leave them. If she decided to stay, she had to write a letter of rejection to each place she had been invited.

She has not been able to talk to Damian properly since their return from the Fade. Nellie thought she had to talk to the young man in order to make her final decision. She was also constantly delaying the conversation they had to make since she was afraid of Damian's answer. If the young man did not want her beside him, there was nothing she could do other than to leave with a broken heart.

Nellie, who could not stand the pressures of Darius, came to Damian's room one night. The young man was reading a book in his armchair. He had only his pants on as he was ready to bed. Nellie swallowed. It would not be easy to start talking to him. As she walked towards the fireplace, she was disturbed by Damian's eyes, who watched her carefully.

"Well... I have to make a decision." She said, and turned her eyes down to her hands to avoid his gaze. "Darius says, I must write an answer to inviters that called me to start my service. He said if I’m more late it would be considered as a great disrespect."

Without saying anything, Damian stood up and left his book on his seat. He slowly walked towards Nellie. He stopped very close to her. Therefore, it became increasingly difficult for Nellie to gather her speech.

"I ...wanted to talk to you first... to decide."

"Do you want to stay?" He asked softly.

Nellie lifted her head up and looked at Damian's eyes. "Do you want me to stay?"

Damian replied with a sarcastic smile. "What if I say yes?" It seemed that he found her struggle to talk amusing, with that idea Nellie got angry.  
"It looks that it's not as serious a problem for you as it is for me." 

She turned back to leave the room, Damian grabbed Nellie by her arm and pulled her towards him. His kiss was harsh. They separated, she tasted a drop of blood on her lip. A very little wound was bleeding.

"I'm losing control when I'm with you," Damian said with a nervous tone."It scares me."

Nellie's eyes shone with desire. With a seductive manner, she licked the blood on her lips.  
"You can not hurt me unless I want to," She said lowly. In the meantime, she was already getting her clothes off.

"You wanted this, Nellie McGowan," Damian murmured. Nellie thought she had already made her decision as Damian was carrying her to the bed.


End file.
